Page 52 of Shardless

Skye frowned at the mention of Taly but said nothing. He had always suspected that the Castaros were far more involved in her new life than they let on. It was nice to know his instincts had been correct.

The older man’s expression turned wistful. “Anyways, my baby sister went on a tear as soon as she got home. She even managed to find my reserve of Ghislain tobacco and then proceeded to lecture me on how I needed to be a better influence on Taly or something or other. As if that girl’s cigar habit is my fault.”

Skye took a long sip of his beer, drawing in a slow breath as he finally felt some of the tension in his shoulders start to ease. “Well, you are the one that taught Taly how to blow smoke rings.”

“Yes, that was a mistake in hindsight.”

“Don’t tell me you agree with Sarina now about tobacco smoke being bad for humans.” Skye took one of the cigars from Ivain and reached for a fire dagger that lay forgotten on his bench. Depressing the toggle underneath the hilt, he lit the end of the cigar with the flame that zipped along the blade.

Ivain chuckled as he waved the end of his own cigar through the flare of fire magic. “No. It’s because as soon as I taught that girl how to blow a little smoke, she was always stealing my cigars. And not the cheap ones either. That girl likes her cigars the way she likes her brandy—expensive and from Arendryl. At least you always had the courtesy to swipe the ones you knew I wouldn’t miss.”

Ivain took a long drag. Then, tapping his cheek, he blew out three perfect smoke rings in quick succession. “Your mother wrote to me again.”

Skye groaned. “Shards, what does she want now?” Flicking the switch on the dagger, he twirled the blade, extinguishing the flame, before tossing it on the bench behind him.

“The same. She’s unhappy that you’re skipping another season at court.”

Skye stared out the window, past the droplets of water streaking the glass. “Sounds about right. She’s still mad I ducked out of the winter court season after I cut the summer season so short.” His eyes became shuttered as an image of a dark room and a young woman flashed through his mind. The scent of blood filled his nose, and he once again saw that brief flash of steel.

Ivain placed a hand on the younger man’sshoulder, snapping him out of the memory. “What happened last summer was not your fault, Skye. It was a bad situation with no right answers, and you did the best you could.”

“I know,” Skye conceded quietly. “It just doesn’t feel that way. Not yet. And, while I know I can’t keep putting it off forever, I’m just not ready to go back to the mainland yet, to my family’s estate—especially since Kato insists on reminding me of Ava at every turn. He’s even started writing me letters. The last one started with,‘The servants finally managed to get the blood stains out of the tile.’After that, I asked Eliza to throw his letters into the fireplace as soon as they come in the post.”

“Your brother is a prick and just trying to spread around his own misery. You did nothing wrong.” Ivain began sipping his beer. “I heard you agreed to meet with Lady Lori when the Aion Gate opens. Are you actually considering accepting House Arendryl’s offer?”

Skye huffed out a laugh. “No. But my mother says I can’t keep turning down breeding contracts without at least meeting with the lady in question. And since this one is in Faro and wouldn’t require me to travel back to Ghislain, I figured I could spend an afternoon with the Lady Lori and her family. Even if I turn down the offer, my mother will be happy.”

“House Arendryl is a very respectable family. Good people. If I were you, I would consider accepting their proposal.”

Skye snorted. “Are you joking?”

Ivain looked completely innocent as he continued sipping his beer. “I’m concerned for you, boy. If you go on much longer like this, you’re going to turn into a monk. You do know that the GateWatchers don’t require a vow of celibacy, right?”

Skye rolled his eyes. “I do just fine.”

“I’d give you the time off,” Ivain went on. “I’m sure one of the other Gate Watchers can take over your duties. I say—go. Spend a few weeks wooing a beautiful woman while your mother re-negotiates Ghislain’s trade agreements. Really, I don’t know why you’re so against the idea.”

“I don’t know,” Skye mused. “Maybe I don’t want to be a father. That seems like a perfectly valid reason to turn down a breeding offer.”

Ivain waved his hand dismissively. “Those fertility spells they use to bind the contracts never work, especially on fey as young as you.”

Skye brought the cigar to his lips, breathing in deeply. “You know, you used to try harder, old man. You think I can’t see through this? You just want to use me to get more Arendryl tobacco.”

“Now, Skye, you wound me. I would never whore you out just for a little tobacco.” Ivain’s lips twitched. “I needbrandytoo. I finished off my last bottle of Arendryl liquor last week.”

Skye gave the man a withering glare.

“It’s not a bad offer,” Ivain added with a shrug. “You could break that dry spell.”

“It’s not a dry spell,” Skye muttered irritably. “If I wanted to bed a woman, I could. I just haven’t been back to the mainland in a while.”

Ivain laughed, stretching out to prop his feet up beside Skye’s as he continued to puff on his cigar. “There are girls on the island, you know. What about… oh, what was her name? Lady Shura? Lovely girl. Very smart. I thought the two of you got along quite well when we visited Starfall Estate over in Strio.”

Skye took a long swig of beer. “I don’t messaround with girls on the island. You know that.” Not that the thought hadn’t occurred to him as of late. Since he’d managed to avoid returning to Ghislain for the winter season—claiming that his Gate Watchers duties and the upcoming Aion Gate connection made it impossible for him to travel—it had beena whilesince he’d been with a woman.

Ivain scratched at his ear. “Why not? You’re 25—Sarina and I wouldn’t mind if you brought women back to the manor. In fact, we were more surprised when you turned 18 and we still hadn’t gotten to embarrass you in front of a girl. You really let us down there, boy. What’s the point of having teenagers around if you don’t get to ruin their lives every once in a while?”

“I don’t sleep around on the island for the same reason I’ve never seen you bring a woman back to the manor.” Skye tapped his cigar in the crystal ashtray that Ivain handed him. “For the fey aristocracy, sex and politics go hand-in-hand, and the ‘island society’ is the same group of catty highborn that vacation here every summer. Like you, I have no desire to get involved in their petty squabbles. Plus, if I were to stray outside the highborn nobility—stoop below my rank, as my father likes to say—I can guarantee the rumors would reach my mother’s ears before morning. Considering how many breeding offers I’ve turned down just this year, she’d be so incensed she’d come through the Seren Gate and drag me back to Ghislain herself.”

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